‘Pacific Rim’ Prequel Graphic Novel Coming, Says Guillermo Del Toro

Legendary Pictures’ Pacific Rim isn’t out until July 13, 2013 but director Guillermo del Toro today announced that a prequel to the sci-fi robot and monster movie is in the works. Written by the film’s screenwriter Travis Beacham and released by Legendary Entertainment CEO Thomas Tull’s Legendary Comics imprint, the graphic novel will be set about 25 years before the movie, taking readers inside the creation of the robot pilots’ crews and the technology they use. The biographies del Toro put together for the characters in the Legendary/Warner Bros movie will also be a part of the graphic novel, Deadline has learned. Del Toro will be appearing at the Legendary Comics booth at New York Comic-Con tomorrow signing specially created artwork for the Pacific Rim movie (check it out at right).

The Pacific Rim prequel wasn’t Legendary Comics’ only announcement at NY Comic-Con. Grant Morrison, who wrote the bestselling Batman graphic novel Arkham Asylum and The X-Men comics among others, will be bringing out Annihilator next year. The Hollywood-based release centers on a hard-living screenwriter trying to get his Annihilator movie made and the sudden appearance of sci-fi anti-hero Max Normax in LA. Legendary Comics also has original properties The Tower Chronicles and Shadow Walk coming out; Tull is one of the co-creators of The Tower Chronicles.